


I'll Support You (If You Carry Me)

by KingsAndThieves (TehLotteh)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien plays support, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, In fact they barely play at all in the first chapter, League of Legends AU, Marinette plays ADC, More characters to be added when I decide on the enemy team, No knowledge of the game necessary, Parts from Mari's POV and parts from Adrien's, Professional Gamer AU, Romance, They're giant dorks really, Volpina is best wingman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 16:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6617059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TehLotteh/pseuds/KingsAndThieves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Miraculous</i>. That's the name of the professional gaming team both Marinette and Adrien find themselves on, and although it only started off as a bit of fun they find themselves flown off to London to compete in the Championships. As exciting as it is, it's also the first chance the gamers have to meet each other in the flesh, though for individual reasons nobody is prepared to remove the wall of masks and pseudonyms - not that it stops a certain cat from trying.</p><p>The only problem is that the team they're pitted against is headed by none other than Hawk Moth, Ladybug's predecessor - and there's more than a hint of bad blood going on between the support and his previous partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Support You (If You Carry Me)

**Author's Note:**

> I know it doesn't have a final number of chapters, but it's going to be either 2 or 3. I've tried to explain everything about the game as well as I can, but if you've clicked on this I'm assuming, rightly or wrongly, that you have at least a little bit of knowledge about the game. If there's anything that's unclear, please let me know and I'll do my best to explain. I play it a considerable amount but only for fun, so if I've made mistakes it's probably something I don't pay much attention to, but please feel free to point them out so I can rectify them.
> 
> Secondly, I started writing this yonks ago, before the Volpina episode was aired, hence Lila probably seems a bit out of character. No matter, it's an AU after all :D
> 
> Thirdly, you can blame SweetNemesis91 on tumblr for this. She's in my league squad and we played ADC and support a lot and then this fic happened and, well. All her fault.  
> (Also there are so many inside jokes in here that literally only she and I will probably get but what the hell it's self-indulgent~)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Looking out the window of her taxi, Marinette couldn't help but stare in awe at the large buildings flitting past her, tall and rectangular and so uniform in comparison to what she was used to. The streets were jam-packed full of cars going this way and that, everyone in a rush to return to their homes from work or to go out partying or just generally living their life. It felt so surreal to be on the wrong side of the road here, but for her first trip to England, this really, really wasn't bad.

Added to the excitement of her first visit to the country, it was also the first time _Miraculous_ , their nationally ranked gaming team, would all meet in person. As far as she knew they were all already waiting for her at their hotel, and she couldn't wait to see them properly. They knew each other almost as intimately as she knew her best friends from school, despite the fact that none of them knew each other's real names or identities. Their leader, manager and jungler, “MasterFu”, thought it would help keep the atmosphere “spicy” and “professional” if they just went by their usernames, and any time they held a group video call they all wore masks to keep their precious identities safe from each other.

Marinette had been the one to make each mask, since MasterFu had discovered her love of sewing and her abilities, and she'd had four separate masks shipped off to varying places in the world with only PO Boxes to go by.

Sometimes, she thought their manager was taking things a little _too_ far, but who was she to complain?

Either way one had been sent to America, an elaborate mask made to look like rock'n'roll sunglasses with spiked edges, to one “Jagged Stone”, his name a pun (she was pretty sure) of a famous washed-up singer known as “Rugged Rock”. His French was pretty broken but understandable all the same, and she'd picked up on a considerable number of English swears playing in a team with him. He preferred to play the tanky top laner, a beast with lots of health who took very little damage, and was always happy to chat with them while gaming. She didn't know much about him except that he was supposedly in his thirties, making him the second oldest on their team.

The oldest by far was MasterFu himself, who had far more of a grasp of technology and gaming than even her father did. By her reckoning he was in his late-fifties, or maybe even his sixties, yet he was a keyboard warrior to rival the best of them. As a jungler it was his job to stay away from the experience-farming of the rest of his team, diving in to secure a kill or aid an escape, and there really was nobody better for the job than him.

Their powerhouse and “burst” damage dealer was a lovely Italian girl who went by the username of Volpina. She seemed rather down to earth and had a voice to die for, and Marinette was definitely looking forward to getting to meet her. She was from Milan, heavily into fashion, and had a sassy undertone that Marinette couldn't help but respect. As a gamer she was reliable and packed a punch, roaming all over the map to one-hit unsuspecting enemies. Her mask was elegant and covered in orange fur, black pen edging the holes for her eyes to elongate them with wings, and the outer rim of the main body of the mask done in a similar way. Marinette had included ears for her as well in a similar style, attached to a headband, and the girl had messaged her thanking her and asking for a tail as well, a tail that now comfortably sat inside Marinette's suitcase.

Her own mask, one that she was sporting now that her hotel was approaching, was simple in red silk with black dots, matching her online handle of “Ladybug”. Her main preference was to play the damaging half of the bottom lane duo, a role known simply as the ADC, or “attack-damage carry”, meaning that while she was easy to damage and kill due to her lack of defensive stats, she packed a lot of punch. If the ADC got a lot of experience and gold in the early part of the game, by the late game they could just shred through enemy defences.

The fifth and final member of their team was a guy she couldn't help but feel torn over. Known simply as “Chat Noir”, he seemed to quite the enigma. Most of the time he was busy with something or other in his real life, so they'd all had to schedule their gaming times to suit him. He seemed to be a clever student very near her own age, but he was an absolute devil to deal with. He'd commented once or twice that under his real name he was extremely prim and proper, so whenever he got the chance to let loose online, he did. On more than one occasion he had died to the enemy because he was too busy typing out taunts or stupid puns, and he had a habit of tilting if things weren't going in their favour, where his own efforts and attention to the game would just drop and he'd end up throwing it all with a stupid mistake.

Still, he was a very devoted partner to their cause. His role was the support, meaning that everyone else's life was put ahead of his own. If there was a rocket shooting towards their team he would take the hit, he would inflict status ailments or heal or use himself as live bait. He'd gotten her out of more scrapes and close calls than she would care to admit, so she was sure that she could endure his terrible humility and poor puns.

His flirting wasn't an entirely unwelcome distraction.

He'd quickly decided that he liked her, and they found themselves talking more and more after group practice time was over. Just the two of them watching films together online, or curled up in bed while on call to each other, talking until the soft snores of one or the other filled their headphones. There was something so peaceful and so trust-building about letting your guard down enough to fall asleep on someone, and she knew for a fact that when he snored he snuffled, reminding her a considerable amount of a kitten. In fact, when he wasn't shouting brashly and insulting their opponents, everything he did was slight and cute. He meeped when he made a mistake, he actually _meeped_.

It was her favourite sound yet.

And she swore she hadn't ripped the audio off a stream they'd done and set it as her ring tone.

She quickly dug her phone out of her pocket and set it to silent, just in case fate conspired against her to embarrass her in front of him.

The taxi wasn't long pulling up in front of her hotel and she let out a low whistle as she took it in, soon rummaging in her purse and pulling out some cash to pay for the journey. It took her a short while, having to check each note and coin to make sure that she got the value right, but soon enough she was handing it over and thanking the driver in shaky English, slipping out the door and pulling her suitcase after her.

“My Lady!”

She glanced up and caught sight of a familiar face, already wearing his mask and ears that she had made for him, all done in black faux leather with a green trim around the eyes. From the way her partner was buzzing in excitement, she got the feeling that he hadn't arrived that long before her, and she greeted him with a bemused smile as he jogged over, taking her hand in one smooth motion and bringing it to his lips, eliciting a brief blush from her that she quickly willed away.

Okay, he was pretty bloody gorgeous in person. Definitely better than the photos she had of him, anyway.

He was taller than her, slender yet toned, and she had to wonder what sort of physical activities he did to have such a shape. He was dressed fairly casually that day in black jeans with orange converse, a grey-striped shirt and a black jacket over the top, though her eyes widened when she saw a green paw-print sewn onto the breast. Was this the team hoodie that she'd been told they were getting?

“Chaton,” she smiled, pausing in her appreciation of his height and appearance to look at his face properly, seeing the happy buzz in his eyes, reaching out to stop him as he picked up her suitcase but not having the will to argue as he gave her that look that said he wouldn't take no for an answer.

“I hope my Lady had a pleasant flight over?” he positively purred, relishing in the light blush that he pulled out of her once more. That nickname really shouldn't get to her as much as it did, but hearing his voice crisp and clear without any of the quality loss online was just a little nicer than she had anticipated.

“Oh, you know, can't complain. The guy in the seat next to me fell asleep and there were delays in us leaving, otherwise it was pretty normal,” she responded, falling into step with him as they made their way to the entrance. “How about yours? Where did you even fly from in the end?”

She knew he lived in France as well, although he had been offline and unavailable the past week due to 'real life'. She knew he travelled a lot, supposedly for work, though what job could he possibly have that required him to be out of the country so often? He was maybe only a little older than her, either eighteen or nineteen years old, so she really couldn't see him having landed any proper work yet.

Maybe he was just filthy rich and didn't like boasting about going on loads of holidays.

That was probably it.

(Did having four computer screens constitute 'filthy rich'? She was pretty sure there was a better adjective for that).

“Ah, my Lady, I'm so touched that you care!” Chat grinned wildly, ignoring her eye roll as he dug his spare hand into the pocket of his jacket. “I flew out from Milan so I think I might have been on the same flight as Volpina, though I'm not sure.”

“Milan? You weren't there for Milan Fashion Week, were you?” Marinette's eyes narrowed in a mixture of suspicion and jealousy, although he merely laughed her off and winked.

“That would be telling.”

The great glass doors opened when they arrived and she stepped in to what looked like a really expensive foyer. The floor was possibly faux marble (or maybe even real marble, she wasn't sure), with red velvet carpets and a seating area filled with leather sofas and plush cushions. Her eyes caught sight of her fellow team-mates immediately, Volpina kneeling on her seat and waving wildly at them. The elderly MasterFu was sat beside her with a cup of coffee in his hands, and Jagged Stone was reclining in a chair of his own.. Quite possibly fast asleep. Then again, if he'd flown from America, he most likely had jet lag, in which case she could hardly blame him.

Chat Noir placed her suitcase down and she swore his posture took on one of pride, chest puffing out a little as he stood beside her, and soon enough Volpina was on her feet and hurrying over and pulling her into a tight hug. As the only two girls on the team they'd developed a certain camaraderie, and had managed to bond over a love of fashion, good music and a mutual sufferance of the other teenager's terrible sense of humour.

“Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you!” Volpina squeezed her a moment longer before pulling back, flashing a sly grin at Chat Noir who just pretended not to notice, soon turning her gaze back to Marinette with a bright smile. “MasterFu had to go and take part in the draw earlier to see who we're playing first, he only just got back.”

“And?” Marinette came and settled on the sofa opposite their leader, Volpina returning to her chair and Chat slipping in to the seat next to his carry. Her expression faltered as she noticed the near-grimace that they all seemed to be sporting, glancing between them curiously. “Well? Is it TR1? DeathRush?”

“Akuma,” Volpina sighed sadly, lips sticking out in a little pout. MasterFu nodded solemnly, looking far from impressed.

“Wait,” Marinette started, “Isn't that the team my predecessor set up when he quit Miraculous? Hawk Moth or something?”

“Predecessor makes it sound like you're on even pegging,” Chat interrupted, stretching his legs out lazily in front of him and folding his arms behind his head, flashing her a lazy yet also heated glance. “I say good riddance to the bastard. We're much better off without him.”

MasterFu flashed him a scolding look, but didn't open his mouth to argue the point. None of them particularly missed Hawk Moth, but the fact that their very first Championships battle would be against his new team didn't sit well with any of them. None of them felt particularly comfortable fighting an old comrade, no matter how little they got on with him any more.

“The one good thing,” Volpina's lighter voice cut through, drawing attention back to her, “Is that we know how he plays, his style and everything-”

“And he knows ours,” Chat interrupted once more, eyes narrowing. “He knows how four of us play and we only know about him. I wouldn't call that much good at all.”

“I did say the _one_...”

Marinette sat back a little in her chair and tried to sort this all out in her mind. She didn't know all that much about Hawk Moth – there were only a few streams of them all as a team online and from what she had been able to gather he was concise, effective, and saw no point in wasting effort.

_Unless_ he was throwing shade at the other players, enemy and ally alike.

And from what else she'd seen, he and Chat, despite having been laning partners at the time, really hadn't gotten on.

The way she played with her support was almost seamless; the two knew what the other was planning even without speaking, for the most part, and she trusted Chat to have her back when she went, as he liked to call it, 'balls deep'. Most of the time he let her lead and he would follow, but they both knew that he was as able to make a call as well as she was. It was the mutual respect that really allowed them to work well together, and it was the aspect of their partnership that she valued the most.

Thinking back on those streams, Hawk Moth had just assumed that he was the one in charge and never hesitated to make it known that any divergence from his plan caused him great displeasure. From what she knew of Chat's personality (and over the months of 'Skype dates' she'd come to know him pretty well), he was more than willing to accept the lack of prestige his preferred role brought him as long as it didn't come with a lack of respect.

Every good carry was only good on the back of a better support. That's why they were in the one lane that was shared between two roles. While they were spurting out all the damage, they needed someone else to watch their back. Being a support didn't bring any glory, but their absence was sorely noted otherwise.

“Well,” she said, hoping to look more positive than she felt (really, did her team have to be so pessimistic?), “All we can do is our best and try and take the victory, yeah?”

“She's right,” MasterFu spoke, leaning forward a little in his seat with that glint in his eyes that made him seem about twenty years younger. “Anyway, we're here for the fun and the experience, not just to try and win. Lady, dear, I'm sure you want to freshen up after your flight, no?”

She nodded quickly, feeling that disgusting sensation clinging to her skin as a result of travelling. She got it from cars or trains and planes were so much worse, and she definitely felt like changing into a fresh pair of clothes before doing anything else. With Jagged still asleep it looked like they wouldn't be reviewing any game strategies for a while, so it would be nice to spend some actual time with the other younger team-mates.

“You'll be sharing a room with Volpina, if that's alright with you. She can help you settle in and show you where everything is.”

Marinette thanked him and stood, noticing Chat watching her curiously out of the corner of his eye, but soon enough the Italian girl had hold of her hand and was dragging her off towards the lift, barely leaving her enough time to pick up her suitcase on the way.

  


* * *

  


Adrien found himself waiting nervously in the lounge area of the apex that their team had been given. Four bedrooms, one living area, one kitchen, four bathrooms. It wasn't the grandest living accommodations he'd ever been given during his travels, but it was the first time the whole thing felt something close to a family in a long, long time.

While the two girls had been sorting out their things he had slipped into his own room to make sure he had everything he needed. Phone, wallet, ID, all tucked safely away in his favoured shoulder bag, but it meant that he was now left with nothing to do while he waited for them to finish. Ladybug would be taking a shower and he wasn't sure how long she would normally be – his own could range from five minutes to fifty, after all – but as long as she didn't take hours they should still have plenty of daylight left to make the most of. They'd all agreed that last minute practice games would do nothing but stress them, so they were just going to go in cold tomorrow and take the match for what it was – a hobby of theirs that had somehow become a potential moneymaker.

He nervously flipped open the cover on his phone, stomach twisting as he saw that there was an unread message, but it turned out that it was just from his airline company asking for him to fill in a survey. For a horrid moment he'd thought his father had decided to check up on him (as if that would ever happen), and although he felt an immediate burst of relief, he knew it wouldn't last long. He'd be fretting the whole weekend, because if there was one thing that would make his old man flip, it was the idea that his identity could be at risk doing something as pathetic and unseemly as _publicly_ _playing video games_.

In his mind it was his father's own fault for giving his son all the top quality gaming equipment in an attempt to buy his co-operation and patience while he and the boy's mothered toured Europe for their work, but all it had done was fuel a passion that he'd been unable to quell. Xbox, PlayStation, from RPGs to FPSs (which he didn't enjoy all that much but the online gaming was good for when he wanted to let out some internal, pent-up frustration), but in the end it had been the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena known as League of Legends that had caught his attention.

He had seen it flick up on an advert while aimlessly browsing YouTube one boring Tuesday evening and, having nothing better to do, he'd downloaded it. Booting it up and playing through the tutorials, it had been interesting, but nothing special in his mind. Still, he'd wanted to get better, and found the constantly changing and evolving game-play to be a unique aspect. From new Champions and new items, to new game-modes and new metas, he found it to be something rather addictive that he rarely grew bored of.

He started watching people streaming online, heart aching when he saw how much fun people had in groups of friends, and slowly resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be that one loner in the corner that didn't understand the inside jokes. The different roles soon made sense to him, and once he'd maxed out his player level, feeling confident enough, he'd decided to dive head-first into the hell-hole known as _Ranked Games_.

He'd flunked his first seeding matches in a spectacular manner, just managing to scrape into Brronze IV, the second lowest rank attainable. Reminding himself that he was only doing this for fun, he threw himself into it with a single-minded desire to forget about his own less-than-fantastic life and immerse himself in this world of perpetual combat and its twisting lores. He soon discovered that the one role everybody loathed to play was the supporting role, and unconsciously gravitated towards it as a source of stability. He tried all the main support champions – he was a beast with Sona, if he dared say so himself – and found himself quickly climbing back up the ranks.

Gold I and just scratching the surface of the promotional games but never quite being able to make his way into Platinum, he was content that he had reached his peak. With his father growing more and more distant from him and his mother refusing to close the void between them as well he'd decided to invest in recording equipment, setting up a backdrop behind his computer chair to minimise the amount of his room people saw, and was quick to find ways to hide his identity.

For Adrien Agreste, teenage supermodel and prolific member of the public eye, doing something as ordinary as playing video games was like a shot of adrenaline, and the fact that at any moment he could be caught only heightened the experience. Drawing on his love of Japanese street fashion he adopted a dust mask in black, leaving only his eyes and forehead visible, decorated with a white cat face and whiskers in the emoticon style. He'd found a hat for sale at a tourist vendor stall around Paris to match, a black cap with cat ears sticking up the top, and before long _le chat noir_ was a streamer that French gamers seemed to notice. Unusual Champion choices and witty trolling, it wasn't too long before he changed his username from _Senchationnel_  to _Chat Noir_ , loving the fan-given nickname, and watched as things grew from there.

There was one fateful game where he was placed in lane with someone under the username Hawk Moth, a skilled ADC in his own rights, and the two _destroyed_. For once Adrien found himself scrambling to be good enough for his carry rather than feeling like he was being dragged down, and he was surprised by the little notification at the end of the game signifying a friend request. He accepted, and Hawk Moth asked for him to duo queue with him, allowing them to always take the bottom lane and learn to work together better.

As a duo they quickly climbed into that illustrious Platinum rank, and before too long Diamond was behind them as well.

Staring at the full-screen notification congratulating him and welcoming him to the Master Tier rank, Adrien had felt like he had finally reached the pinnacle of his life. A few weeks and a game with a three-man premade on their side later, the next friend request and following conversation seemed too good to be true.

> [20:13] MasterFu: Chat Noir, you and Hawk Moth seem like just the players we've been looking for. We're interested in setting up a ranked team – consider it, and let us know what you decide.

He'd typed yes almost before realising what the words meant, but he took the plunge and he couldn't care less.

The five of them made a name for themselves under the team banner of _Miraculous_ , competing in local competitions within France and earning points and prestige and for the first time in his life, he felt like he had friends that cared.

He got on extremely well with Volpina, their mid, and in all honesty despite Hawk Moth's occasional temper and salty attitude, he enjoyed it all. He could put up with the odd bit of grief from his carry because finally, finally, he felt like he belonged somewhere.

That all turned upside down when his mother died suddenly. She'd hidden her illness from him at his father's advice, convincing her that their son was too sensitive to be able to deal with it, but the shock of coming home from a photoshoot to being told that his mother had passed away and that her funeral would be the following week had been too much for him. His father hadn't even come to see him in person, leaving it to his assistant to deal with.

Adrien had unplugged his computer and cried himself into a restless sleep, battery removed from his phone and chair wedged under his door in an attempt to isolate himself from the world. He'd spent the past year believing his family didn't love him, thinking his only friends were the ones he would never meet that he controlled pixelated characters alongside, and all it had done was take away precious minutes and hours that he could have spent with his mother if only he'd pushed.

It was after the funeral that he finally booted his machine back up, hesitantly logging in to the game if only to apologise to them and tell them that he was quitting the team for their own good. Volpina had messaged him the second she saw him online, expressing her concern for him and his disappearance, and when he had given a less than satisfactory answer she'd posted her phone number in the chat box and told him to call her if he ever felt the need, any time of day, and she would be there for him. She convinced him to hold off quitting the team just for a little, a week longer, and he hesitantly agreed before coming off once more.

Two days later and he was dialling her number at two in the morning after trying and failing to bring himself down from a panic attack. She'd listened as he spilled his soul, the pain, the loss, the fears and the burning sensation that he was floating adrift and didn't know what he was doing or how to change anything. She had listened to him and comforted him and given him all the support he should have received from his father. They chatted for hours as she calmed him down, exchanging little tidbits of information about their real identities. She, like him, had a public profile that she couldn't risk getting out in the open, but she did inform him that her real name was Lila. In turn he told her that she could call him Adrien, that cats were his favourite animal ( _you think I hadn't worked that out, Chat?_ ), and that he was more grateful than she could ever know for the support she gave him.

It wasn't too long before he was logging back in once more, anxiety slowly melting away at the warm words of comfort and understanding that came from MasterFu and Jagged Stone, brushing off his apologies for his absence and extending Volpina's invitation for him to talk to them if ever he needed.

Hawk Moth, however, didn't seem to get the memo.

He was coarse and brash and seemed more intent than ever to tear chunks out of Adrien's playing without a care in the world. When Adrien finally felt brave enough to tell them of the tragedy that had struck his family, Hawk Moth had only thrown an off-hande “is that all” which set the younger man's blood seething. He felt himself getting angry, unable to bear the emotional manipulation that the other male tended to employ, and after lashing out uncharacteristically he turned round and delivered the ultimatum that either the ADC left or he left. They had signed no formal contract within the team, he wouldn't be breaking anything if he up and left them except the budding friendship that he wanted to cling onto with both arms and never let go.

On a unanimous decision Hawk Moth was kicked from the team, and although it helped the atmosphere immensely, it now left them one player short of a squad. Feeling guilty and knowing it was his fault, Adrien had tried to apologise, offering to find another carry to replace him. The others in the team had agreed that it would be wisest for him to do so anyway, considering that he would be the one working closest with them, and soon enough he dove back into the world of solo queuing whenever he could, looking for that one that would work well with him.

Ladybug had stood out from the moment he saw her name pop up, watching as she effortlessly sassed and diffused an argument in the champion select screen without breaking into excessive button mashing or sarcasm, before claiming the ADC role with her main champion, Miss Fortune. Adrien had been unsure about laning with her, worried that he would aggravate her or embarrass himself, but with no options left he took his usual support role and locked in Nidalee.

He couldn't lie, originally he'd only chosen her because of her alternative cat form, but he really enjoyed playing her. Although she could support she wasn't the most viable, having damage output and no crowd control, but he just felt like having fun and relaxing.

> [17:08] Ladybug: chat noir

He'd stopped breathing in that moment, expecting her to complain about his choice, and braced himself. (In all honesty, he could have picked something much worse – he could have locked in Teemo).

> [17:08] Chat Noir: yes my lady?

The few moments staring at the chat box were more than a little stressful. Was she going to boss him around? Insult his choice? Would the flame wars start before he'd even had chance to embarrass himself in front of her?

> [17:09] Ladybug: I'm more of a dog person

He'd laughed a little at that, smiling as he reached for the keyboard reflexively.

> [17:09] Chat Noir: :3

And they'd destroyed.

They'd won their lane with a landslide and only continued to snowball, and Adrien was looking at a lovely 2/1/23 score as they made their final push into the base (which wasn't bad when he was playing a champion without area of effect damage) and he'd only stolen one of his two kills which was remarkably good behaviour for him.

Of course, like a gentleman, he'd spammed his taunt at Ladybug afterwards, and in a chivalrous response she'd let him take the full force of a long distance Jinx ultimate, dancing on his dead body straight after.

He didn't even hesitate to add her as a friend after the game, and she had accepted immediately and invited him to another game with her. Realising that they were in for an enjoyable evening, he'd dug into his secret stash of crisps under his desk and a bottle of cider, and they raked in more and more points and victories together.

Leaving the ranked matches and heading into the far less stressful world of normal games, he'd gotten more daring with his picks, and her “...” in response to his choice of Jarvan IV as support only made him grin widely.

As he pointed out, with an ultimate ability known as “Cataclysm”, it seemed like a waste of a good pun.

That first week every spare moment he had was spent online with her, playing whatever game mode inspired them, ranked, normal, serious or humorous ( _See my lady, I told you Taric-Leona bot lane would be a good thing – shield bros before shield hos!_ ), and he'd almost forgotten about the club name in a dull gold after his username until he got a message from Volpina, flicking it open with a grin.

> [19:43] Volpina: So when is LadyNoir going to grace our bot lane? ;)

And, well, life had never been better since.

  


“You ready, kitty-cat?”

He glanced up to see Volpina step into the room alone, her team hoodie with a fox-tail insignia on the breast pocket draped over her shoulders and her mask settled on her face. She had changed into a pair of knee high brown boots over green tights, a brown skirt and grey turtleneck flattering her natural beauty exceptionally well. He felt a little underdressed himself, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself by wearing his usual family-branded clothes.

“When am I not?” He flashed her a playful grin, pulling at his dust mask that sat round his neck. Having the mask from Ladybug that covered his eyes he didn't really need it, but he did find it rather comforting to have around. It was like his comfort blanket, even if he was a little ashamed to admit it.

She came and perched next to him on the sofa, eyes dancing as she watched him shuffle up from his slouch.

“In all honesty I was expecting you to have cold feet right about now. I'm more than happy to do the supporting for once, but you realise I will push you if you dare back off.”

He knew his smile faltered, but her estimate of cold feet wasn't entirely wrong. Truth be told, he was beginning to regret the plans he'd made with Volpina about this night.

His crush on Ladybug wasn't exactly a secret, not between the team or their fans. He'd found no shortage of fan theories speculating over their relationship, but that was just it.

They weren't official. He didn't even know if she wanted to be official or not. Just because they'd fallen asleep on Skype together most nights, had film dates after ordering the same pizza and had Snapchat wars about who got the cutest cat picture, it didn't mean that any of her playful teasing _meant_ anything.

He'd never toned down the flirting while streaming, which lead to some people believing that he flirted with everyone (within reason – any comment like that that he threw at Volpina was entirely platonic in nature and they both knew it), but he just hated that he couldn't read Ladybug's emotions well enough to know whether she was responding as a joke or not.

If she just wanted to be friends he would naturally respect her decision, no matter how disappointed he would be. Likewise, if she did feel something more for him he would not hesitate to take it further under her lead.

It was the indecision that was eating him inside, and by Volpina's expression it was showing.

“Look, kitty,” she said, reaching out to bop him quite firmly on the nose, forcing him to focus on her, “We stick with the plan. It's our first time all meeting up in person, it's going to feel weird and exciting and in all honesty I'm still awestruck about how fluffy your hair is, but that's not the point. Don't force this. Just have fun with her, all right? If you forget how to speak French around her I'm with you, and if things go very well I'll make myself scarce. Agreed?”

She was too good to him, she really was. After that first phone call where she'd offered her undying support he'd really grown close to the Italian, and she'd made it her mission to support him in his rather unorthodox love story. It did help that she'd grown to be good friends with Ladybug as well, and she didn't doubt that the two would make a perfect couple.

He opened his mouth to respond, but his words were taken from him by the girl in question stood at the door, damp hair pulled into pigtails with red and black polka dot ribbons, looking insanely adorable in denim shorts with over the knee black socks, her own team hoodie on but left unzipped as the small ladybug on her left pocket caught his eye.

Smiling shyly, her bright blue gaze flicking between them, Adrien felt his mouth go dry as he was helpless to do anything but watch her hoist her purse's shoulder strap up a little higher.

“So,” Ladybug spoke, bouncing a little on the spot, “What's the plan?”

  


* * *

  


London was more exciting than she could possibly have imagined. The lights, the colours, the atmosphere. As evening started to draw in and the sun bled golds and reds into the sky, the buildings lit up in a multitude of eye-catching designs. The buildings towered high above the roads as their taxi took them into the city proper, and Marinette squirmed a little in the middle seat as her gaze followed a particularly bright sign that whizzed past her.

Volpina was sat on her left, arm on the ledge under the window with her chin resting on it comfortably as she studied the sights outside, while Chat sat a little more rigidly on her right, shuffling as if he couldn't get comfortable. He would keep making furtive glances her way before turning his head sharply to the window, and she had to admit that his face looked more taut than usual.

“Chaton,” she called softly, eyes widening as he jumped in alarm, almost as if he had been daydreaming.

“M-my Lady?” his voice came out amid a cough as he made to calm his madly beating heart, looking to her in confusion.

“Are you alright?”

He nodded and pursed his lips, looking back out the window, and Marinette found herself distracted by Volpina's melodic laugh. “Don't worry, Lady, you know how cats are with cars.”

It took a few moments for her words to sink in, but when they did she flushed a little in embarrassment and couldn't help but bring her legs up, resting her feet on the higher middle console. If he did have an accident, she didn't particularly fancy cleaning vomit off her new shoes. Her action only sparked another bout of laughter from her companion while the other grumbled and leaned his head against the cool glass of the window. Still, it made her feel a little uneasy inside.

Volpina had known that he got car sick, but in all the times they'd spoken she never found that out.

She refused to admit that the sense of unease was anything akin to jealousy. They were all team mates – just because they were partners in particular didn't mean that she had any claim over him.

And she certainly wasn't feeling insecure about the thought that he might be spending just as much time flirting with the foreigner as he did with her.

The rest of the taxi ride was spent in only semi-awkward silence, and when they all slid out of the back seat after paying their fares, Chat stretched his arms in the air and took a deep breath of the crisp air, looking more relaxed already. Marinette stepped up to him and lightly touched the small of his back with her hand, pleased to see him flash her an easier and warmer smile in return. She hadn't liked seeing him look so uncomfortable just before, and it felt better to have her happy-go-lucky Chat back, even if he'd only been gone for a short time.

“So, what is this place?” she queried, looking up at the large building with its welcoming lights and tall windows. Volpina laughed and grabbed her hand with both of hers, pulling her forwards and Marinette only grabbed onto Chat's in reflex, dragging him along with them. She was beginning to realise that she might be the least bubbly of the three of them, which said a lot when she considered how she usually was back home. Remembering that the aim for the night was just for the three of them to relax and have fun, she felt the tension leave her and stumbled over herself in an attempt to keep up.

Bursting through the front doors she let out a low hum of awe, seeing arcade machines and bowling lanes and every sort of entertainment imaginable filling the large hallway up. Take-away food stalls lined one wall, slushie machines and tables interspersed here, there and everywhere, and a driving techno beat could just be heard rumbling through the spacious room.

Chat Noir squeezed her hand and she turned to look at him, seeing an unusually soft expression in his eyes. “You said you hadn't been to an arcade in a long time, didn't you?”

He remembered. That meant more to her than she had expected. She nodded, looking around herself once more with wide eyes, soon waving a hand in an attempt to gesture to everything. “This isn't an arcade – it's like a whole theme park crammed into one building! If I'd known we were coming somewhere like this I would have brought more money!”

She was distracted from her gawking by the feel of something slipping into her hand, looking down in time to see him finish wedging a wad of tokens into her loosely clenched fingers. By the thickness of it she dreaded to think how much they were worth, and she suddenly had a horrible feeling that he'd paid for them. If he had though, how long had he and Volpina been planning this? They'd both seemed to know the evening's plan while promising her that it was a “surprise”. What did she do to merit such attention?

“No no no,” she tried to shove the wad back at him, pouting in frustration as he danced back out the way. “I can't accept this, Chat! This is too much!”

“Use 'em or lose 'em, you give them back to me and they're only going straight in the bin~” he sang back at her, linking his hands behind his back and rising up on his toes in an infuriatingly juvenile manner, taunting her.

She sighed, glancing back to the small tickets in her hand, thumbing over the edges in thought. She knew he was just doing his best to make this as enjoyable as possible for her, and although she didn't feel particularly comfortable with him splashing out on her, he _was_ filthy rich..

And if they'd be using them together, it wouldn't be entirely selfish, would it?

“All right,” she eventually conceded, the way his face lit up in such pure and innocent joy almost too much for her little heart to bare. He was ridiculously adorable when she least expected it, but she still felt like he was holding himself back, if only a little. “What shall we go on first?”

They spent the next hour or so aimlessly wandering through the various games on offer, a couple of rounds of pool, something Marinette had never really had much of an affinity for, although she quickly discovered that both she and Chat were absolutely ruthless in table hockey and Volpina very nearly lost an eye while trying to record it. They received no shortage of weird looks for their masks, but she didn't doubt that when they heard them speaking French they just put them down to being weird Europeans. It probably also helped that the back of their team hoodies announced that they were here for the large gaming tournament that she had seen posters of, so if they weren't pegged for foreigners they would definitely be classed as nerds.

The one thing that really struck Marinette as weird was that every time Volpina said she was going to go and get them drinks or crisps or anything along those lines, Chat was very, _very_ quick to grab her arm and drag her off to something of interest, as if he were terrified of being left alone with her. It made her feel uneasy, that was for sure. He'd never had a problem talking to her over the internet, and he didn't seem to be a shy guy, but she couldn't work out what she'd done to terrify him so. Whenever she yelled at him it was only in good nature and he almost always played the brat in response, but this was completely unfamiliar territory to her.

This time Volpina made the excuse of really needing to go to the bathroom, and Chat had no choice but to let her go after she threw a rather poignant glare his way. The silence between them felt like a gaping chasm, and Marinette watched as he awkwardly shuffled on the spot, tugging at the sleeves of his jacket and doing all he could to avoid looking at her.

The minutes dragged by, and Volpina didn't return. With every passing second Chat only seemed to grow more agitated, and he was making Marinette feel like a nervous wreck by proxy. This was very unlike him, and she didn't know how to deal with it. If he carried on like this, their game tomorrow would be compromised. They couldn't afford to be off sync for the championships.

“What's gotten into you, Chat Noir?”

Her tone came out harsher than initially intended and the both of them flinched a little, but it got a reaction as he turned to her, nervously rubbing his hand over his upper arm.

“My Lady?”

“You're not yourself. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

He shook his head fervently, and she tried her best to be patient with him while he glanced around them, no doubt looking for Volpina again.

“Do you not want to spend time with me?”

That got an even better reaction.

He jolted on the spot as if he'd been shocked, and turned to face her with an expression of utter disbelief on his face.

“Why would you even think that?”

Brag as he might, he always had been an open book to her. He genuinely was confused and concerned about why she would think as she would. Sighing inwardly, knowing she had to be gentle and not scare him, she stepped up to him and did her best to ignore the way he shifted his weight back and away from her, although it was as if he was yearning to lean in towards her at the same time. She reached up and smoothed her hand over the front of his jacket, the way his eyes widened little by little not going unnoticed, pupils dilating minutely.

“You've been jumpy and nervous since we left the hotel. It's not like you, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned. If you're not feeling comfortable here we can go back to our rooms, watch a film or something. I don't mind.”

His cheeks seemed to redden considerably, standing out in stark contrast next to his dark mask, and he shook his head rapidly once more before lifting his hands, hesitating with them hovering over her shoulders before placing them down and squeezing, as much to ground himself as her.

“It's not that, Bugaboo,” he said weakly, dropping his gaze down a moment before returning to her face, tracing over her cheeks, the rim of her mask, her lips, everywhere but her eyes. “I just.. I want this to be special for you, and I know I'm being weird but the more I try not to be weird the worse it gets.”

“Let's be real, here, we've always known you were weird..”

A smile tugged at the edge of his lips and she could feel him lean down just a hint, almost feel his breath ghost over her skin as it ruffled her fringe in her periphery. Green eyes finally met with hers, soft and relaxed at the edges, although she fancied she could still see a twitch of nervous energy in his cheek as he tensed his jaw.

“Just know that being here, being with you.. This is one of the best evenings of my life. Whatever comes of this, of tomorrow, whatever happens to our team or us, I'm glad we've been able to spend these moments together.”

His words were so heartfelt that she felt her organ in question skip a beat, or two, or five, and now it was her time to shuffle a little in embarrassment. Of course he flirted with her, he joked, he punned, but this was so open and raw and unguarded for him that it threw her a little.

She reached up and touched his cheek before moving up, the back of her knuckle lightly running along the line of his mask. Underneath that was just a normal boy, a young man, someone with hopes and fears and dreams who took to online gaming as a means of escapism. There was a person with a family, with friends, with likes and dislikes and a heart of pure gold.

What was he like under the mask? Did he have freckles? Was his skin as smooth as the rest seemed to be? Did he have bags under his eyes? What shape nose did he have? Thick or thin eyebrows?

Would he smile at her like she was the sun if he could see what she was underneath her own?

His hand had moved from her shoulder and before she knew it her hand was in his, the pad of his thumb softly rubbing over her skin as his fingers shifted on their own, pressing against hers in a gentle search for permission. She immediately responded, parting her digits to allow them to link together, the warmth of their palms meeting and holding in place. She couldn't help but marvel at the size of his hand, the way it dwarfed her own, the light dusting of hair on the back of his hand and the deceptively soft skin on the front.

“My Lady,” he began, voice quieter than she was used to, but it only succeeded in bringing a low, purring quality with it that made her stomach lurch in a surprisingly pleasant way. “There's.. Something I've been wanting to tell you.. For a long time now, really.” His other hand reached up to claim hers that was on his mask, following suit as he linked their fingers once more, and brought both fists together just in front of his chest.

“Then tell me,” came her response, moving forward a little more, subconsciously drawn to him and she swore she could see him doing the same in turn.

Time seemed to slow, and she watched like a hawk as he parted his lips once more, tongue nervously darting out to wet them before widening in preparation to speak.

She knew what he was going to say, and despite all her fears and confusion prior to that day, she knew what she would say in response. Would it be telling that she'd been planning for this if she slipped one of his favourite puns in there? She wasn't sure. Maybe. Would he be offended if he knew she'd been daydreaming about him?

Scratch that, he would be insufferable with an ego boost like that.

“Ladybug, both with the mask and without.. You're my best friend. Better than best.”

“As are you, Chaton.”

He laughed and nudged her with his elbow, a playful expression on his face as he pretended to scold her. “No interrupting.”

She smirked, tilting her head and making a show about letting him continue.

“What I was _going_ to say,” he continued, “is that I-”

“Is that Ladybug and Chat Noir?!”

The words had been spoken in English but they were definitely their names, and the two parted in surprise, whirling on the spot to see three young boys and a girl all huddled together with expressions of awe on their faces, the eldest no more than fifteen and the youngest about ten. Seeing the masks only confirmed their suspicions and the apparent eldest, the one who spoke before, yelled in joy as he closed the distance between them, holding out what Marinette recognised as the Miraculous team poster, all five of them posing with their relevant insignias, the team's own yin-yang symbol smack-bang in the middle. A Sharpie pen was presented to them, and the excitement on their faces warmed her heart to no end.

Switching into their broken English the two gamers did their best to communicate with the young fans, who explained that they were only beginners themselves but that they really enjoyed watching the professionals play. To Chat Noir's delight the girl was a large fan of his, and he was more than happy to pose for some photos with her as she giggled and told him about how she wanted to main support just like he did. For someone whose efforts were rarely recognised, Marinette could only imagine how much it pleased him.

Still enthralled with having found some of their idols, (the excitement returning full throttle when Volpina eventually made her way back to them), they couldn't say no to the pleading faces that begged for them to join them playing on the dance machines or the arcade machines. It made Marinette a hint homesick for the days she used to babysit a friend of the family's daughter, even if she had been a little devil, but it seemed Chat was an absolute natural with the kids despite not having any younger family of his own. He was in his element and she was so pleased to see him so relaxed, but when they eventually parted ways from the younger children, their conversation didn't pick up from where they'd left it like she'd hoped. In fact, if anything, he'd gone nervous on her again once more, staring out the taxi window in silence as they made their way back to the hotel. She managed to catch him before they went to their respective rooms, fingers lightly looping themselves in the back of his jacket as he placed his hand on the door handle, pausing to glance over his shoulder at her.

“My Lady?”

He looked exhausted as he turned to face her fully, and she didn't feel much better if she were being honest with herself. They were both in need of a good rest before the games the following day, and as much as she wanted to push to see if he really had been about to say what she had been hoping for, she recognised that now wasn't the right time. They would have the following night together, after all, and it wouldn't do to be distracted during the biggest moment of their lives.

Smiling softly, she took only a moment before stepping forward and burying herself into his chest, her arms coming around his waist and squeezing him tightly. She could feel his warm arms wrapping around her back and pulling her close in turn, his cheek resting on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a short while, the previous tensions all washing away as they took solace in each other's presence.

She was the first to pull back, noticing his dopey smile as he regarded her at arm's length.

“Sleep well, kitten,” she said to him softly as she stepped back further, him nodding and turning to open the door. Stepping in, he stopped to look over his shoulder at her once more, and she could see his eyes burning with something she couldn't identify as he flashed her his trademark half-smirk.

“And you, my Lady.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it here, huzzah! I hope you enjoyed it :3 I'll try not to take too long writing up the second chapter, but no promises.
> 
> On that note, feel free to come and pester me on tumblr @kingsandthieves, gods know I get sidetracked and distracted by shiny things VERY frequently.


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